Fairfield County JFS feels opioid impacts, requests additional levy

Kristi Burre, left, deputy director of children and adult protective services for Fairfield County Job and Family Services, and Aundrea Cordle, right, the agency's director, look over data the agency has put together detailing the impact the opioid crisis has had on the services they offer.(Photo: photo provided by Fairfield County Job and Family Services)

LANCASTER - Children impacted by the local drug problem are driving up costs for Fairfield County Job & Family Services, causing the agency to ask taxpayers for more funding a year early.

Residents will see a new levy for JFS to cover growing costs for Children and Adult Protective Services on the ballot Nov. 6. JFS Director Aundrea Cordle said the rising cost of residential treatment for children with "extreme behaviors" is forcing the organization to request renewal levy funds a year early in addition to a new, 1-mill levy, bringing the total to 2 mills if passed.

In 2008, the first JFS 10-year 1-mill levy passed by a narrow margin with 52.8 percent of the vote, according to county voting records.

The Fairfield County Auditor's Office estimates the renewal and additional levy would cost $5.47 per month for a $100,000 home. Under the current tax, taxpayers are paying about half that each month.

"We looked at just a renewal levy, but we would have been in the red by 2020. We need to share what the true need is," Cordle explained.

Rising costs

JFS saw the highest increase in costs for children in residential treatment. There are 176 children in custody, and 13 of them are placed in residential facilities for treatment, costing an average of $7,000 per child per month. In 2014, there were three children in need of this high-level care.

Children placed in residential treatment often experienced trauma at home after being exposed to a combination of drug abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence and a lack of parental love and attention, among other situations. This can lead to mental illness and children demonstrating dangerous behaviors, including setting fires and inflicting self-harm or harm to others.

Kristi Burre, deputy director of Children and Adult Protective Services, said it's unclear what the long-term impact will be on these children. But in the short-term, Burre said, it's necessary that the children receive a higher level of care and supervision than an average foster home can provide.

But with this high-level care comes a hefty price. Residential treatment facilities are privately run, which Burre said means they can charge whatever they want and hand-pick the kids they take.

"We have to fight for those residential treatment facilities with every other county agency," she said.

Fairfield County is currently paying residential treatment facilities — located across the state and occasionally out of state — between 200 and 450 each day per child.

"If they're placed three hours away, they're still required to have regular visitation (with their parents)," The staff drives up, gets them and drives them back," Burre said, explaining the burden of employee and mileage costs. "That's a whole day."

Occasionally children are unexpectedly discharged to their caseworkers and live in the JFS offices with around-the-clock supervision until a new placement is found.

In 2014, JFS spent $1.6 million for children placement costs. In 2016, that number increased to $2.6 million. The volume of children in paid placement is about the same every year, but the expense keeps growing.

"If this trend continues, the $2.6 million spent in 2016 will increase to almost $3 million by the end of 2017," Burre said. "We have been monitoring a steady increase in these daily per diem costs over the last couple years."

Funding problems

Ohio is 50th in the nation for state funding child protection. Even if funding quadrupled, Ohio would still finish last, Cordle said.

Fairfield County receives about $2.5 million from state and federal funding, making up about 35 percent of the agency's total budget. About $1.4 million is provided through the County's General Revenue Fund, and the majority comes from the $3.1 million tax levy that's currently in place.

"The state of Ohio has failed to fund protective services," Cordle said. However, state law mandates that services be provided.

Adult protective services do not receive any federal funding, and the state's contribution is $30,000 every year to cover all elderly care for people 60 years or older in Fairfield County.

If the levy passes, Cordle said none of the levy dollars go toward staff costs, only services for children and elderly in the agency's care. Cordle also noted that the agency has already taken measures to cut costs over the past several years, including partnering with other organizations to streamline funding and services.

"We want to make sure we can use every penny as effectively as possible," she said.

In July, the Fairfield County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to place the levy on the ballot, saying it was necessary to seek an early renewal and an additional tax to keep children and adult protective services funded properly.

Cordle estimated about half of Ohio's counties have a levy. But, if only half of the counties have levies, how are they funding services knowing they're experiencing the same rising costs as Fairfield County? They're not, Burre said.

"It means there are children and elderly left in unsafe situations," Burre said.

As part of its campaign, JFS compared it's daily spending per child each day to other surrounding counties:

Fairfield County- $23.87

Hocking County- $27.51

Licking County- $40.09

Muskingum County- $60.97

Athens County- $73.34

Franklin County- $104.46

"We compare ourselves in so many ways to Licking County, and they provide almost double per person," Cordle said.

While no one likes to see their taxes increase, Cordle said the future of services the agency can provide to children and elderly is bleak without it.

"These are the populations that are the most vulnerable," Cordle said. "It's our job to protect them."

sremoquill@lancastereaglegazette.com

740-681-4342

Twitter: @SpencerRemo

By the numbers

There has been a 60 percent increase in drug exposed infants.

Eight out of 10 children in protective services are impacted by parental substance abuse.

40 percent of children in custody are under the age of 5.

In the last three years, investigations of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation increased by 75 percent.